The Desert of Einfuhlung - Epilogue

As they sat on the bench in the TARDIS Control Room a little while later, Saskia offered the Doctor a small gift-wrapped package.
"What's this?" he asked with a smile, turning it over and over in his hands.
"It's an unbirthday present," Saskia answered.
He glanced up. "An unbirthday present?"
"Well I don't know when your birthday is, and since you're always whizzing back and forth to the past and the future, who knows what the date is in here anyway? So I decided to designate today as your unbirthday and this is your present."
He gave her one of his dazzlingly wide-eyed smiles that always reminded her of a small boy. "Thank you," he said. "Can I open it?"
Saskia raised her eyebrows. "I believe that is the point of a gift," she answered with a smile.
She'd expected him to rip the paper off willy-nilly, but he surprised her by removing it carefully and methodically. Inside the package there was a dark coloured wooden picture frame, and in the frame, written in a flowing script, was a poem. He glanced up to see Saskia watching him intently.

"It's for you and Rose," she said. "The poem is a famous one from the Second World War era of Old Earth. It was allegedly given to a young female spy before she went to France, for her to memorise and use as a 'code poem' for encrypting and decrypting messages. I came across the poem a couple of years ago and it stuck in my head, as almost everything does. I wrote it out for you. The frame is one that Dr Karg made for me a few years ago. I know he wouldn't mind me giving it to you."
The Doctor looked down at the poem, then up at Saskia. "Will you read it to me?" he asked.
She nodded and quietly recited the poem aloud to him:

"The life that I have
Is all that I have
And the life that I have
Is yours.

The love that I have
Of the life that I have
Is yours and yours and yours.

A sleep I shall have
A rest I shall have
Yet death will be but a pause.

For the peace of my years
In the long green grass
Will be yours and yours and yours."

He looked at her, his dark eyes shining with unshed tears. "It's perfect," he whispered, then put his arms around her. She held him for some time as he sobbed, finally letting himself express his grief at losing Rose. When he eventually stopped crying, Saskia gently kissed his forehead, and he straightened up. "Let's find somewhere quiet to spend a few days relaxing," he said.
She nodded and they began to fiddle with the TARDIS controls, working as a team.

The Desert of Einfuhlung - Chapter 4, Part 3

The Doctor was surprised when Saskia grabbed his hand and pulled him down towards the ground, just as a mighty thunderclap resounded around the courtyard. Four abruptly cut off screams followed as the four men were thrown across the courtyard and through the archway.

Saskia leant back against the wall, her face grey and her eyes dull with exhaustion.
The Doctor knelt beside her, gripping her shoulders. "What did you do?" he demanded furiously. He shook her in his anger and fright. She reached up and gripped his wrists, but didn't try to pull his hands away.
"Psychic projection," she whispered.
"What?"
"I created a psychic projection of you, to fool them into thinking you knew how to get into the palace without anyone getting hurt. But because it wasn't really you, and because they were greedy, the Guardian threw them out."
"You killed them!" the Doctor protested.
Saskia looked at him defiantly. "Their greed killed them," she answered.
"But they wouldn't have approached the doors again if you – if I – hadn't encouraged them."
"They would have eventually. Jackson would have made each of them try the doors in turn. Then he would have forced you to take him inside. This was the only way to stop him and to protect the Grimoire."
The Doctor gave her an unfathomable look, then got to his feet. "I'm going to put the Grimoire back," he said flatly.
Saskia nodded. "I'll wait for you out there," she said, gesturing at the archway.

The Doctor turned away without answering. As he headed back to the central chamber of the palace, his emotions and thoughts were in turmoil at what had happened. He hadn't suspected Saskia could be so utterly ruthless. He thought of Rose and the way she had stood up to his previous self over the lone Dalek they'd found. Then he remembered how she had destroyed the Daleks at Satellite 5. Was Saskia really so different from Rose? And if she was, could he accept it? As he replaced the Grimoire in its hollow, the Doctor remembered his previous self ordering Mickey to fire a missile at Downing Street, wiping out all but one of the Slitheen. Then he remembered his own destruction of the Krillitane.
He made his way back out of the palace and across the courtyard in a thoughtful mood. As he stepped out of the archway he saw Saskia waiting for him, leaning against the TARDIS. He stopped dead, his mouth hanging open yet again. He snapped it shut, opened it again to speak, then shut it again, unsure which question to ask first.
"We'd better go inside," he said finally. He walked across the sand to the TARDIS and pulled out his key. He didn't speak to or even look at Saskia as he went inside and headed for the console. The TARDIS hummed a friendly greeting at him. He stroked a hand across the console, then turned to look at Saskia, who was leaning against the TARDIS doors, giving him a look that combined fear and misery.

"I need a cup of tea," he said abruptly. "Come and explain everything that's happened since I left you with Jeff.
Saskia pushed herself away from the TARDIS doors and trailed after him to the kitchen. She found him filling the kettle.
"Sit down," he said, his manner still abrupt. He began getting out the mugs and other things necessary for making tea.
Saskia slid into a chair, folded her arms on the table, and rested her head on them.
The Doctor made the tea in silence, his emotions in turmoil yet again, and his head full of questions. He badly wanted to shout and rant, his sense of confusion and frustration were so strong, but he restrained himself. He made the tea and placed one mug in front of Saskia. He sat down on the opposite side of the table and folded his arms across his chest.
Saskia looked up and he saw her gulp when she caught sight of his face. She clasped the mug of tea in both hands, then began to explain how she had waited with Jeff for the Doctor to return with the TARDIS until she realised that she couldn't sense the Doctor, but she could still sense the TARDIS. She told him how she had called the paramedics, then gone to the TARDIS, who had shown her the Doctor being ambushed.
"She showed me that you were being taken to Eupatoria, and as I was wondering how to get here to find you, she brought me here," Saskia said, her eyes still fixed on the mug she clutched.
"Go on." The Doctor's voice was harsh.
"We arrived here before you, but we landed a few miles away from where Jackson set up camp. I waited, then trekked across the dunes until I found the camp. I was able to find your mind even though I couldn't sense the minds of Jackson or his men. They're not native Empathians, so they aren't empathic nor very sensitive to telepathy. That's how they were able to jump Jeff and you." Saskia glanced up at the Doctor, whose face was impassive, then went back to staring at her empty mug.
She explained that she had realised that she could overhear Jackson's conversation with him, and that she could see "through" the Doctor's eyes. She had gone back to the TARDIS as soon as they had all gone through the archway, and brought the TARDIS to Jackson's camp, determined to intervene.

"How did you know where the Grimoire was?" the Doctor asked.
"After you went to fetch the TARDIS, I telepathically linked with Jeff. I wanted to see if I recognised his attackers. When Jackson mentioned Delmoro to you, I realised I knew everything that Jeff did about the Grimoire. He'd passed on his memories to me, without either of us being aware of it."
"You said that's what the Devron's race does," the Doctor said suddenly. "They pass on their memories to their descendants."
Saskia nodded. "Yes they do. It seems that the Devron passed on a lot more than just its increased telepathic powers when I was fighting with it."
"Including an ability to create psychic projections of people."
"Yes, that too," Saskia answered wearily.
"I need to think about this," The Doctor said, getting to his feet. "You should go and get some rest. We'll talk again later." He strode out of the kitchen towards the Control Room.

Saskia got up slowly and went to her room. She lay down on her bed and sobbed for some time, convinced that the Doctor would not let her travel with him again. Eventually she fell asleep. When she woke up several hours later, she found the Doctor sitting beside her bed. She sat up.
"Better?" he asked softly.
She nodded, surprised that he was there, and equally surprised by his softer manner. He moved to perch on the edge of her bed, and held out his arms to her wordlessly. She leaned into his hug. He kissed the top of her head. "I'm sorry about earlier," he said.
"It's OK," Saskia answered, her voice muffled because her face was pressed against his chest. She moved her head and rested it on his left shoulder. "You were shocked."
"And angry. And frightened," he said.
Saskia lifted her head to look at his face. "Frightened?"
He nodded. "Your new – abilities – frightened me rather. As did you ruthlessness towards Jackson and his men. Your actions reminded me too much of some of my own actions over the years, and it was painful. And I didn't know you had it in you to be that ruthless."
"Oh."
"But I'll learn to live with that, with you, if you still want to travel with me, that is."
"Do you want me to? I thought you had gone off the idea a bit."
The Doctor cupped her face in his hands and stared into her green eyes. "I'd rather have you than almost anyone else," he said.
"Thank you."

"We should go and see Jeff," the Doctor said.
"And Luca," Saskia said.
"Luca? Why him?"
"He's the only other person who knew we were interested in Jackson. I think he told Jackson we were at the Museum, and that's why Jackson's thugs attacked Jeff. And kidnapped you. Luca must have known we'd see the papers about Jeff's research and that we'd want to talk to Jeff himself."
The Doctor nodded. "Then we'll go and see them both." He got up.
"I'm just going to get changed," Saskia said.
He turned at the door. "Not fond of desert gear?" he asked, grinning.
"Not really!" she answered. He went out and she changed back into her usual linen shirt and black trousers.

The TARDIS dematerialised in the same side street near the Museum as before. Saskia stepped out through the doors and the Doctor followed.
"Is it too early?" he asked. "I've lost track of time."
Saskia shook her head. "It's 8 am. Luca will be in the office by now."
They went down the street to the Museum and Saskia let them into the corridor that led to her office. They walked down it quietly, then she grasped the Doctor's hand.
"Luca is in Philip's office," she said.
"Do you want to speak to him on his own?"
"No. Philip needs to know what sort of man he has working for him," she answered.
They paused outside the door to Philip's office.
"Any word yet?" Philip asked.
"None," answered Luca. "It'll probably take them a while to find the Grimoire, then they have to get back here – that's a three hour flight. I'll only start to worry if we haven't heard from them by tonight."
Saskia exchanged a swift look with the Doctor, then threw open the door.
"It's too late to worry," she snarled.
Both men looked up in surprise at her abrupt entrance.
"Saskia! I was just saying to Philip – "
"I know what you were just saying Luca, I heard. And I repeat, it's too late to worry. Jackson's dead, and so are his men. The Grimoire is safe in the rock palace still. And you are in very deep trouble. Both of you."
The Doctor suddenly found himself very glad that Saskia was on his side. He glared at the two men, both of them looked very silly with their mouths hanging open in surprise.

"Why?" Saskia asked. "Why did you send Jackson's thugs after Jeff?"
"Why do you think?" Luca asked, contempt in his face and voice. "I didn't want him blabbing to you."
"Luckily for you, Jackson's thugs didn't kill him, so I was able to find out what had happened. Which means I'm not going to kill you."
Luca got to his feet. "You?" he sneered. "You wouldn't dare – "
Saskia snapped a punch at him with her right hand, and sent him crashing to the floor. Philip suddenly reached for his videophone, but the Doctor was quicker. He pointed his Sonic Screwdriver at the videophone and it popped loudly, then began to smoke.
"You're both history," Saskia said. She turned to the Doctor. "We should tie them up, then I'll call the Council."
The Doctor looked at the two men. "Ring the Council from your office," he said. "I'll keep an eye on them."
Saskia nodded, then went next door to her own office.
"You're lucky I'm here," the Doctor told Philip. "You've made a real enemy of Saskia."

Saskia came back into the office. "They're on the way," she said. "I called the Museum's security staff too. As soon as they get here, we'll get going. I can't stand to spend one more minute with scum like this. I never knew you were so greedy."
The Doctor saw Philip wince at Saskia's contemptuous words. There was a knock at the door and Saskia opened it, speaking to the men outside. They came into the office, and Saskia went out into the corridor, the Doctor close behind. "Let's go and see Jeff," he said.
Saskia nodded. She walked a few paces up the corridor, then turned to the Doctor.
"Am I as bad as them?" she asked miserably.
The Doctor looked at her in puzzlement. "Of course not," he answered. "Why would you think that?"
"Because I resorted to anger and violence," she said.
The Doctor pulled her into a hug. "You did what was necessary, but no more. I know you could have seriously hurt Luca, if you'd tried, but you didn't. So don't beat yourself up over it." He rubbed her back. "Come on, let's go and see Jeff, then we'll go and look for somewhere quiet to spend a few days."
"OK." Saskia brushed away her unshed tears, and they left the Museum hand in hand.

They didn’t stay long at the hospital. Jeff seemed quite surprised to hear that Luca and Philip had been indirectly responsible for the beating he'd received, and was subdued when Saskia told him that Jackson and his thugs were dead. She suggested that he move into her apartment once he was out of hospital, so he could keep an eye on it for her.
"Are you sure?" he asked in surprise.
"Quite sure. It's much nicer than the lodgings you've been staying in. And I want to know that someone I trust is looking after it for me. I'll let Mrs Ponder know you'll be staying there. She'll probably want to mother you."
Jeff smiled faintly. "That might be nice."
"Take care of yourself, then. I'll be back at some point, I promise." She leant forward and kissed him.
Jeff looked dazed as they left.

"I notice you didn't tell him how Jackson and his thugs died," the Doctor said as they headed to Saskia's apartment so that she could pick up a few things.
"He didn't need to know," she answered. "He doesn't need that on his conscience, not when it's already on mine."
They took the lift up to Saskia's apartment and the Doctor stood out on the balcony as Saskia packed a bag, and wrote a note for Mrs Ponder. Then she rang Dr Karg and put off their lunch date, giving him a brief explanation of events. She joined the Doctor on the balcony, slipping her arm through his.
"I just spoke to Dr Karg."
The Doctor looked down at her, sensing that she was sad about something. "What is it?"
"The Devron is dead."
He blinked. "Did he say how it died?"
She nodded. "It broke into the pharmacy last night and took an overdose. Dr Karg thinks it knew that its mind was breaking down."
"Even though it caused us a lot of trouble, I wouldn't have wished that on it," the Doctor said.
"Nor me."
They stood in silence for a few minutes.
"Ready?" he asked.
She nodded. "As long as you're sure you want me to come with you?"
"I want you," the Doctor answered.

The Desert of Einfuhlung - Chapter 4, Part 2

The Doctor could vaguely feel her embarrassment at intruding on his thoughts. He swallowed hard, wondering if she could also sense his emotions at this distance.
"Yes I can," she answered his thought. "I'm very sorry, Doctor. But I didn't choose this, and once we're out of this, I promise, I'll be taking Dr Karg's pills in large doses."
The Doctor swallowed again. "Let's just worry about getting out of this situation alive, shall we?" He felt Saskia's gratitude that he wanted to concentrate on the immediate situation. "How are we going to play this? I don't want Jackson getting his hands on that Grimoire."
"You're not the only one! If he does get it and use it, Einfuhlung will be in far more danger than it ever was from the Rovians. The only way to stop him is if you can get to it and remove it first. But you'd have to get past the Guardian, and only someone who doesn't want it for themselves can do that."
The Doctor half smiled. "That shouldn't be a problem," he said. "I've no desire for it."
"Good. But you need to get into the central chamber, preferably without anyone else seeing you. I think you should wait until dusk, then try to enter the palace." Saskia said.
"Do you know where the central chamber is?" asked the Doctor. "I mean, this place is huge, I don't want to waste time wandering through lots of corridors."
"You'll have no trouble finding it," Saskia answered. "That hum of power you felt at the doors will lead you straight to the Grimoire."
"How do you know all this?" the Doctor asked, unable to contain his curiosity any longer.
"From Jeff."
"He told you about his research?" the Doctor asked, once again sensing that Saskia was holding something back.
"In a manner of speaking," she answered evasively.

Before he could push her for a more detailed answer, there was a loud crack like a thunderclap and a scream. The Doctor spun around just in time to see Jones being hurled across the courtyard and through the archway.
"What happened?" yelled the Doctor, racing across the courtyard. He had barely reached the archway when Jackson's thugs barrelled into him. "What are you doing?" he yelled, picking himself up again. The thugs grabbed his arms, holding him back from going through the archway. Jackson sauntered over. "No point going after him, Doctor," he said casually. "He's dead."
"How can you know that?" the Doctor demanded, straining to pull himself free. "He might only be injured."
"Either way, he's no use to me." Jackson turned away and headed towards the flight of steps.
"He's right Doctor," Saskia said quietly. "Jones is dead." The Doctor stopped struggling against his captors. They let go of his arms and followed Jackson. The Doctor slumped against the rock wall beside the arch, then sank down to sit on the ground, his head on his arms which he rested on his knees.
"He's really dead?" the Doctor asked.
"I'm sorry Doctor." There was a note of fear or awe in Saskia's voice.
"What aren't you telling me?" the Doctor asked quietly.
"When Mr Jones was thrown through the Crack in Time, he was aged instantly. Only his skeleton is left."
The Doctor swallowed hard twice. "Are you OK?" he asked Saskia after a moment.
"Yes," she answered.
The Doctor sensed she was unhappy with what she had just witnessed. "How am I going to get inside the palace, if that's what happens to anyone who tries?" he asked.
"Purity of intent," Saskia answered.
"Perhaps I'd better do this sooner rather than later," he said.
"Not if you want to get away without Jackson getting the Grimoire," she answered.

The Doctor was about to argue with her when a second thunderclap followed by a scream echoed around the courtyard. His head snapped up in disbelief as another body was sent flying across the courtyard and through the archway. He leapt to his feet and sprinted across to Jackson.
"Have you gone completely mad?" he yelled, his face contorted with fury, as he reached Jackson.
Jackson gave him an indifferent look. "I want to look inside," he answered, clearly believing that this was sufficient justification for his actions.
"Have you considered the possibility that you might not be able to get inside?" the Doctor asked, a steely look in his eyes.
"I'll find a way," Jackson replied. He nodded at Gordon and the other thug. "Gordon, Philips, get a meal going."
They hurried off to the camp.
"And you, Doctor, bend that mighty mind of yours to finding a way inside, or I might just get bored and kill you out of hand."
"And what good will that achieve?" asked the Doctor.
Jackson gave him a contemptuous look. "None, but then I'm not interested in good, as you know." He walked away, and his other men followed, leaving the Doctor to sink down onto the bottom step.

"Saskia?"
"I'm here," she answered.
"How much longer until I can get inside?"
"About five minutes. Wait for them to lose interest in you."
The Doctor waited, listening to the men talking noisily about the meal they were preparing. As he waited the sky darkened further, a couple of stars shining faintly.
"Doctor."
"I'm ready." He stood up and dusted the sand off his trousers.
"Once you've got the Grimoire, bring it to the archway. I'll be waiting for you there, and then we can deal with Jackson and his men."
"OK." The Doctor turned and walked up the steps to the doors.
"Remember, purity of intent," Saskia said softly.
The Doctor nodded to himself and placed his hands on the doors. He felt again that strange humming. He swallowed hard and concentrated on the idea of keeping the Grimoire from Jackson. He pushed at the doors, which swung open silently. The Doctor stepped over the threshold, then paused. Saskia had been right about the fact that he would know where to go, he thought. He walked forward, taking apparently random turnings through the corridors until he reached the central chamber. He opened the door and stopped on the threshold, surprise and disbelief arresting his steps.
"That is incredible," Saskia said quietly.
The Doctor started. "You can see this?"
"As clearly as you can," she answered.
"Once we're away from this, you and I are going to have a talk," the Doctor said firmly.
"A long talk," Saskia agreed.
He pulled his attention back to the task in hard, looking at the stele in front of him.
"What do you know about this?" the Doctor asked Saskia.
"Only the rumours that Jeff discovered. He found an account from about a thousand years ago, that referred to a stele, or stone slab, about fifty feet high, that was to be found at the heart of the Rock Palace of Eupatoria. The carvings on it are supposed to be an account of the building of the Rock Palace."
"And where's the Grimoire?"
"There's a hollow space at the base of the stele, at the back. The Grimoire is inside it," Saskia answered.

The Doctor walked into the room, then around the stele. He wanted to stop and examine the carvings, but he was afraid Jackson and the others would notice his absence.
"They're eating at the moment," Saskia told him. "But the sooner you bring the Grimoire to me and we get it out of their reach, the better."
"I know." The Doctor saw the hollow space Saskia had described and knelt down in front of it.
"Gently. Remember, purity of intent."
The Doctor stopped as he was about to reach out for the Grimoire. "What?"
"The Guardian's still active," Saskia said. "If it believes that you don't want the Grimoire for yourself, you'll be able to remove it without harm."
The Doctor rubbed his suddenly sweaty palms on his trousers, then reached out, thinking only of getting the Grimoire to safety. He picked it up, then waited. Nothing happened, so he shuffled backwards a little on his knees, then stood up. He looked down at the heavy, dark-coloured book, then walked out of the chamber. He hurried back through the corridors of the palace and down the steps. He glanced across at the camp, but not one seemed to have missed him yet.
"That's because they don't care about anyone except themselves," Saskia observed with contempt.
"Right now, I'm glad of that," answered the Doctor as he crossed the courtyard. He started when Saskia stepped out of the shadows. He'd got so used to talking to her telepathically, that seeing her standing there was slightly odd.
He put the book down and reached out to hug her. Saskia hugged him back tightly.
"Ow!" The Doctor winced as a stab of pain shot through his ribs.
"Sorry," Saskia said softly.
"It's OK. I think one of those thugs kicked me in the ribs when I was unconscious."
"I wouldn't be surprised," Saskia answered.
"So what happens next?" asked the Doctor.
"We make Jackson pay," she answered.
The Doctor was surprised by the note of steel in her voice. "How?"

"Watch." Saskia pointed across the courtyard and the Doctor was astonished to see himself standing at the top of the flight of steps. He looked at Saskia's face and saw she was gazing fixedly at the figure on the steps. He swallowed half a dozen questions, sensing her utter concentration, unwilling to break it.
"Jackson!" The Doctor's voice rang across the courtyard from the figure on the steps.
Jackson and his men came crowding out of a tent at the Doctor's shout.
"What?"
"If you want to retrieve the Grimoire, you'd better come with me," the other Doctor answered.
Jackson hurried across the courtyard and up the steps, his men close behind.
"Stand beside me," the other Doctor ordered, "and when I say, push the doors open."
The four men ranged themselves on either side of the other Doctor.
"Push!"

The Desert of Einfuhlung - Chapter 4, Part 1

Consciousness came back to the Doctor in a crashing moment of light, noise and pain. He winced under the onslaught, trying desperately to process all the sensations at once. The noise was a man shouting, a familiar voice that seemed to believe anything less than a bellow was a sign of weakness: Jackson. The pain resolved itself into a sharp knife-like stabbing in the ribs and a throbbing ache in his head. The light seemed incredibly bright even through his closed eyes. He struggled to open his eyes, finally prying one free of whatever had gummed them shut. Cautiously he raised his right hand to his head and brushed his fingers over his eyes. He put his fingers in his mouth and tasted blood – his own. He moistened his fingers and rubbed at his right eye, just managing to free it of the dried blood that encrusted it as the bellowing voice stopped.

"You're awake then," said Jackson a few moments later.
"I wasn't exactly asleep," the Doctor pointed out acidly. He squinted up at Jackson, who was standing over him as he lay on the ground. The Doctor realised he was lying on sand and that the bright light was the desert sun. "Had a change of schedule, did we?" he asked, and was pleased to see that Jackson seemed affronted by the calm manner in which he was reacting to the situation.
"Yes we did," Jackson answered. "I've finally found what I've been searching for the last three years."
"Presumably that's something other than the fabled Lost City of Eupatoria, then?"
"Something much better," Jackson answered, a look of greed on his face.
"Which is what, exactly?"
"The Grimoire of Delmoro."
"And who's he, when he's at home?" the Doctor asked.
"I wouldn't expect an ignoramus like you to have heard of Delmoro," Jackson snarled.
"Oi! Be fair," the Doctor protested. "I've barely been on your planet for three days."
Jackson looked contemptuous. "This is not my planet!"
"Isn't it? Then which is your planet?" asked the Doctor in surprise.
"I'm from Abneigung," Jackson answered.
"Never heard of it, I'm afraid." The Doctor eased himself into a sitting position as he spoke. "So where is it?"
"It's a backwater of a planet. Einfuhlung's 'twin' planet," Jackson answered, still contemptuous. "Only it's the weaker twin. Very little of it is habitable. The early attempts at terra-forming went wrong." He scowled. "Anyway, it doesn't matter where I come from, I'll be staying here, once you help me get what we came for."
"Ah yes, the Grimoire. I presume you're going to sell it and make yourself a fortune?"
"Sell it? Are you mad, man? I'm going to use it!"
The Doctor raised his eyebrows. "To do what, exactly?"
"To make me rich and powerful. Richer and more powerful than anyone has ever been."

The Doctor ruffled his hair, looking thoughtful. "Somehow I get the feeling that you're not going to use your riches and power to help anyone except yourself."
Jackson snorted. "Only a weakling would think that's what power and money are for."
The Doctor didn't try to hide his contempt at Jackson's words. "And where do I fit into your masterplan?" he asked, as nonchalantly as he could.
"We need you to guide us to the Grimoire," Jackson answered. "Only a Time Lord can get us through the Crack in Time."
"I'll give you a crackin' time in a minute," the Doctor muttered under his breath. "I've no idea what you're talking about," he said aloud.
Jackson nodded to someone behind the Doctor, who found himself hauled to his feet. He guessed it was one of the two thugs who'd jumped him near the TARDIS. He remembered Jeff then, and hoped that Saskia hadn't waited too long to get Jeff some medical help when he hadn't returned with the TARDIS. He wondered if she thought he'd abandoned her and broken his promise to return. All these thoughts flashed through his mind as Jackson's thug shoved him forwards. His eyes flickered over his surroundings, trying to take in everything at once. They seemed to be at a makeshift campsite. Ahead of them rose a towering wall of rock, carved by centuries of wind-borne sand into a fantastic cityscape. The Doctor suspected that more than sand and wind had carved the rock, but what or who else was responsible, he couldn't guess. The towers, arches, battlements, and other architectural features were too regular to be the work of nature alone. He wondered if Jackson knew its history.

The thug behind him gave him another shove as Jackson walked away. The Doctor winced, his muscles cramped from what he suspected had been several hours of unconsciousness since he'd been ambushed. He wished Saskia was with him. He couldn't sense Jackson or his thug at all. He wasn't sure how they were able to mask themselves telepathically, but he felt sure Saskia would have been able to sense them, her telepathic powers had become so strong.
Jackson stopped in front of a narrow archway. "It's through here," he said with a gesture. "If you cross through, we'll be able to follow you."
"And if I refuse?" the Doctor asked.
"Put it this way Doctor, you're going through that archway one way or another. Either you walk through of your own free will, or Gordon here will beat you senseless and toss you through. I don't care which."
"You'll never get away with this, you know," the Doctor said conversationally. "Because I will find a way of stopping you."
He turned to look at the archway, ignoring Jackson's snort of contempt and the angry glare from Gordon. He closed his eyes, the better to concentrate, and walked forward slowly and carefully. As he reached the archway itself, he sensed something alien in the rock, but he couldn't identify it. He moved forward again, eyes still closed, concentrating on his other senses.

After a few minutes, he sensed a change in the light and air, and opened his eyes. He felt his jaw drop in sheer astonishment at the view before him. Shuffling footsteps behind him told him that Jackson and his group of men had come through the archway, but he didn't turn his head.
Before him was the most intricately wrought rock palace. A towering edifice at least three hundred feet high, and about two hundred feet long. If the cityscape he'd just seen was not wholly natural, then this palace definitely wasn't. Someone or something intelligent was responsible for such exquisitely detailed carving. The Doctor felt as if he could stand and gaze for an hour and still not take in all the details before him.
Jackson stopped beside him. "Right you lot!" he bellowed, causing the Doctor to wince. "Get searching! If you find the Grimoire, shout, and no one, I repeat NO ONE, is to touch it!" He turned to the Doctor. "And you," he said, gesturing at the palace, "you can look in there."
The Doctor gave him an ironic half bow, then walked away, glad not to be in Jackson's immediate vicinity for now.
He walked across to the flight of steps that led up to two massive doors at the entrance to the palace. There must have been fifty or sixty of them, he reflected, wondering how many hundreds of hours had gone into creating the palace. Who had designed and built it? He paused at the foot of the stairs. He had the strangest feeling that someone was watching him, but when he looked around, he could only see the half dozen men who had come with him. He saw Jackson berating his obsequious little PA, Jones. Gordon and the other thug who'd ambushed him were near an ornate fountain on the west side of the courtyard, and the other two men were near the eastern corner of the palace. The Doctor tugged at his right earlobe, wondering why he felt watched. Then he shrugged and sauntered up the flight of steps to the doors. He pulled his left hand out of his pocket and placed both hands, palms flat, on the doors. They seemed, to his senses, to be humming with power, and he suddenly knew that he didn't want to be the one who tried to open them. He shoved his hands back into his trouser pockets and had half turned to go back down the steps, when he suddenly caught the whisper of a voice calling his name. He turned his head back again, straining to hear it, then got a double shock as he realised that the voice was Saskia's and that she was talking to him telepathically. He stood stock still.

"Saskia?"
"Doctor! Thank goodness you can hear me at last! I've been trying to reach you for the last ten minutes." Her voice sounded strained, but he could also hear suppressed excitement in it too.
"It's good to hear you! But where are you?" he asked, not troubling to hide his relief at hearing her, or his bafflement at her telepathic presence.
"At Jackson's camp, looking at the rock wall you disappeared through a short while ago," she answered.
"How ever did you get here?" The Doctor was consumed with curiosity, not least because he could sense that Saskia was holding back something. He had a mental image of a locked door, much like he'd seen in Madame de Pompadour's mind when he'd been reading it. He clearly remembered telling her to think of a locked door if there was anything she didn't want him to know.
"Never mind that now," Saskia answered. "Can you get somewhere out of the main courtyard, where you're not in anyone's line of sight?"
The Doctor swallowed a host of questions that sprang to mind, the first of which was a demand to know how Saskia knew he was in a courtyard if she was at Jackson's camp, and looked around carefully. "I don't think I can, at the moment," he answered.
"OK. We'll just have to wait for an opportune moment then," Saskia said.
"For what?" the Doctor asked, feeling slightly frustrated by her cryptic manner.
Before Saskia could answer, Gordon gave a triumphant shout and the rest of Jackson's party ran across the courtyard to the fountain. The Doctor approached more slowly. Everyone was staring at a figure on the centrepiece of the fountain. It was a humanoid figure and it was holding a large stone book. Jackson smacked Gordon across the back of the head, sending him stumbling away.

"Of course that's not it, you idiot!" he yelled. He turned to the Doctor. "Did you find anything?" he demanded.
"Nope, sorry." The Doctor grinned with a cheerfulness he didn't feel. Even though he was relieved to know that Saskia was nearby, he had no idea how she was going to help, and he was slightly worried by the thought that she was holding out on him. He trusted her 100%, but apparently she didn't reciprocate his trust in her, otherwise why wasn't she telling him everything? How could she have reached Eupatoria, and so quickly? He was fairly sure he'd only been unconscious for three or four hours. Another thought struck him. How had Saskia known he was here in Eupatoria? He scowled at his feet, annoyed at having so many unanswered questions.
Jackson's voice broke in on his thoughts. "Make camp," he snarled at Gordon and the other thug. They hastened to obey, rushing over to the stack of tents and packs that they had brought through the archway with them.
The Doctor wandered to the far side of the fountain, eyeing the central figure.
"Doctor." Saskia's voice was as soft as before.
"Saskia?"
"The Grimoire of Delmoro is in the central chamber of the rock palace."
The Doctor just managed to stop himself from gaping like an idiot. "How do you know what we're looking for?" he asked in astonishment.
"I – overheard – what Jackson told you earlier," she answered.
Something about the way she paused at the word 'overheard' caught the Doctor's attention. "What do you mean, overheard?" he asked, trying to rein in his suspicion.
"I've been eavesdropping on you telepathically since you woke up," Saskia answered. "I'm sorry I didn't ask your permission – I didn't even realise what I was doing at first, and then I couldn't get through to you."

The Desert of Einfuhlung - Chapter 3, Part 2

The Doctor followed her back out of the Museum, where they discovered that the rain had stopped, as Saskia had predicted.
"By the way, I think you should have this." The Doctor held out his hand. On his palm lay a silver key.
Saskia looked at the key, then up at the Doctor. "Why?"
"Because you might need to get into the TARDIS when I'm not around, and I'm not 100% certain she'll let you in without me, even though she likes you."
"Oh." Saskia took the ordinary-looking key from the Doctor's hand, with a slight feeling of disbelief, even unreality. "Thank you," she said and pocketed it.
The Doctor gave her one of his dazzling grins. "No problem. Come on, let's go and find our disgruntled young friend." He strode off up the street, past the TARDIS and out onto the main road. Saskia caught up with him and pointed along the street. "The Academy is that one," she said.
The Doctor saw an eight storey building that managed to look imposing despite being surrounded by far newer buildings.
"It doesn't look very big," the Doctor commented.
"It's bigger on the inside," Saskia answered with a grin to rival the Doctor's.
"Really?" he asked, wide-eyed.
"Not really," she answered. "Although it does have two floors underground. It just covers a lot more ground behind that rather narrow frontage. "
"I'm disappointed it's not bigger on the inside," he said.
They walked swiftly up the street and reached the building Saskia had indicated. The Doctor followed her up the steps to the wide entrance doors, where she entered a number on the keypad. She walked over to a computer terminal on the wall and pressed some buttons, which displayed a class schedule.
"Hmm. It doesn't look like he's teaching today, so let's try his office."
The Doctor followed Saskia over to the lift. "Which floor is he on?"
"The fifth. If he's not in his office, we'll try the library."
"You – ah – can't pick out his mind, then?" the Doctor asked hesitantly.
"Not with so many people here," Saskia answered. "If it was early or late in the day and there were fewer people around, I could have done it as soon as we walked in. But there are probably around 3000 people in here now."
The Doctor nodded. "OK."

The lift chimed and they stepped out into a quiet corridor lined with office doors. "This way," Saskia said and set off. The Doctor followed her slowly; he had a strange niggling feeling that someone was trying to send him a message telepathically. He frowned, trying to pinpoint its source. He shook his head as if to shake off the feeling.
"Doctor, are you OK?" Saskia asked, looking at him anxiously. Since they had been linked telepathically so often in the last few days Saskia could pick up his thoughts and feelings more clearly than anyone else's amidst the cacophony of the 3000 people in the area.
He nodded, then tugged at his ear. "Yeah, I just had the feeling someone was trying to give me a message," he answered.
"Who was it?"
"I've no idea," the Doctor answered. "I couldn't make that out. Come on, let's see if your friend's in, shall we?"
"He's in," Saskia answered, then knocked on the door.
"Come in," answered a husky voice.
Saskia frowned slightly, but pushed open the door and went into Jeff's office, the Doctor close behind. They both blinked a little in the gloom. Jeff hadn't bothered to turn on the lights and the window was curtained. They squinted at the figure who was in the corner of the room. Saskia turned and reached for the light switch.
"Don't, please," Jeff said, his voice still husky.
"Jeff?" Saskia stepped forward a few paces, then stopped abruptly. She swore softly under her breath as she caught sight of his face.
The Doctor brushed past her and knelt down beside Jeff's chair. "Put that light on," he said, nodding at the desk lamp, as he pulled out his Sonic Screwdriver.
Saskia clicked the light on and winced when she saw the bruising and lacerations on Jeff's face and neck.
"Who did this?" the Doctor demanded harshly as he used his Sonic Screwdriver to scan Jeff's face and neck.
"I don't know," Jeff answered. "I couldn't see them clearly. They were wearing hoods and scarves over their faces." He gasped as the Doctor gently touched his right cheekbone.
"I think that's cracked," he said. "We should get him into the TARDIS. I can heal his injuries quickly with her help."
"Can you walk?" Saskia asked, suddenly noticing way Jeff was sprawled in the chair.
"No," he answered. "They broke my left ankle and my right knee."
"What are we going to do?" Saskia asked the Doctor.
"I'm going to go and fetch the TARDIS here. It's quicker than trying to carry him between us. Once he's healed and rested, we can talk to him." The Doctor got to his feet. "Stay with him, I won't be long."
Saskia hesitated then nodded.
"I'll be back as soon as I can, I promise." The Doctor clasped her hands in his own, then hurried out.

"Where's he going?" Jeff asked, sounding puzzled as well as exhausted.
"He'll be back shortly," she said. She knelt down in the spot the Doctor had just vacated and took Jeff's hands in her own. "Can you show me what happened to you?" she asked.
He looked at her, frowning. "Show you?"
"Telepathically."
"I'll try." He closed his eyes and Saskia did the same, reaching into his mind and concentrating. She tried not to think about how easy this had become in the last few days. She saw Jeff unlocking his office door and caught a glimpse of the clock on his desk before two dark figures sprang at him from the corridor, knocking him into the room. Both were tall, powerfully-built men, who wore dark clothes, including hooded tops. And as Jeff had said, they had dark coloured scarves wound across their faces. Saskia caught a brief glimpse of blue eyes, but no more than that as they set about beating Jeff in a systematic manner. She winced when she heard the crack of his bones, and swallowed her revulsion when one of them lashed out at Jeff's face with a riding crop, lacerating his cheek and no doubt cracking it in the process, if the Doctor's diagnosis was correct.
She felt certain that whoever these men were, they weren't native Empathians. Jeff's recollection stopped abruptly and she realised they'd knocked him out. She opened her eyes and saw that he looked faint now. She glanced at the clock on his desk. The Doctor had been gone at least ten minutes, hopefully he would be back shortly. She wondered if the TARDIS would fit into the corridor outside. She glanced at the clock again, beginning to feel nervous about the situation.
"Come on Doctor," she muttered under breath. "Hurry up, please." She strained her ears for the familiar noise of the TARDIS dematerialising nearby, but could only hear Jeff's raspy breathing.

She closed her eyes and centred herself, then reached out for the Doctor's mind. She opened her eyes in panic as she discovered she couldn't sense the Doctor at all, but she could sense the TARDIS still down by the Museum.
She stood up and keyed in a number on Jeff's videophone. A young woman answered and Saskia requested emergency medical assistance.
"Please state the nature of the medical emergency," the young woman said impassively.
"Someone has been badly injured," Saskia responded. "He's got broken bones, bruising, lacerations, and I suspect at least one fractured rib."
"I'm sending a team immediately," the operator said. "Please state your location."
"Office 555, the fifth floor of the Academy." Saskia glanced at the clock again. The Doctor had been gone at least twenty minutes now, but where was he?
"Someone will be with you shortly," the operator said, then terminated the call. Moments later Saskia heard the sound of sirens overhead. She glanced down at Jeff and saw he'd blacked out. She wondered what she should do. If she went with Jeff, would she risk losing the chance of tracing the Doctor's whereabouts? On the other hand, she felt guilty at the thought of abandoning Jeff when he was in such a state, and she suspected it was her fault.
The sound of running footsteps distracted her and she hurried to the door.
"In here," she called to the two paramedics who were hurrying down the corridor.
They pushed past her into the room and began examining Jeff in an efficient manner. They quickly strapped him onto a stretcher, and the older of the two women began to wheel it out of the office, whilst the younger woman approached Saskia. "Are you coming with us" she asked.
"No. I need to go and tell his boss what's happened. I'll come to the hospital as soon as I can," Saskia answered.
"He'll be in the trauma unit, when you do arrive," the paramedic told her.

Saskia nodded mechanically and watched them go. "Sorry Jeff," she whispered as she hurried out of the room, and ran down the corridor. She ignored the lift and raced down the five flights of stairs to the ground floor. By the time she ran out into the street she could hear the air ambulance heading towards the hospital which was on the outskirts of the city. She sprinted along the street, ignoring the looks of surprise from passers-by. She practically flew down the side street where the TARDIS was parked, and skidded to a stop at the doors. She dragged the key out of her pocket, grateful that the Doctor had given it to her this morning. She dived through the door and over to the Console. The TARDIS hummed an anxious note at her.
"Where is he?" she asked, flicking switches and pressing buttons beside the scanner. The screen swirled green for a few seconds before the picture settled.
Saskia looked at it in disbelief. "In a flier? Where's he going?" She thought for a few moments, then she saw Jackson in the background. "Eupatoria," she whispered in dismay. The TARDIS hummed again and Saskia realised she was trying to convey something to her. She put both palms flat on the Console, closed her eyes and reached out to the heart of the TARDIS. She remained quite still, communing with the TARDIS for a few minutes and saw that the Doctor had been ambushed by the same two thugs who had attacked Jeff. They had knocked the Doctor out and carried him off. But who they were or why they had kidnapped him the TARDIS could not tell Saskia.
She scowled, eyes closed still. There didn't seem to be any point in going to see Jeff at the hospital. He'd probably be in the trauma unit for a few hours at least, and in the meantime, anything could be happening to the Doctor. She wondered what was the quickest way to get to Eupatoria. She could hire a flier and a pilot, but it would take her time to find someone who knew where the Lost City was located, and then another two or three hours to fly down there.

Suddenly the TARDIS' background hum changed and the next moment Saskia felt the floor lurch under her feet. Her eyes snapped open and she looked up at the Time Rotor, rising and falling inside its transparent column.
"No," she whispered in disbelief. But there could be no doubt about it. The TARDIS was flying without the Doctor. She closed her gaping mouth with a snap, then closed her eyes again, reaching out for the TARDIS once more. She wondered how it was possible for anyone other than a Time Lord, other than the Doctor himself, to fly the TARDIS. She knew from the Doctor that Rose had had to break into the heart of the TARDIS and look into the Vortex in order to get the TARDIS back to Satellite 5 to rescue the Doctor from the Daleks. That was why he had regenerated into his current persona.
The answer she got from the TARDIS made Saskia feel weak. Her increased telepathic powers, combined with her strong empathic link to the Doctor and to the TARDIS, were enough for her to recognise Saskia as a pilot. She wondered what the Doctor would make of this information, if she ever got the chance to tell him. She knew he was rather jealous of the TARDIS. Right now, though, there was no point in worrying about his reaction until she'd found him.

She opened her eyes as the TARDIS dematerialised with a gentle bump. She immediately checked the scanner and found herself gazing at an astonishing view. Sand dunes, around two to three hundred feet in height, rose haphazardly ahead of the TARDIS. Each dune was a slightly different shape, but they all had an impossibly steep south face where the sand fell away below the summit of the dune in an unbroken wall. On either side of the steep southern face there stretched sharp-edged ridges that swept downwards in sinuous curves. Behind were alternating troughs and ridges that became smaller and more complex the further away they got from the face of the dune. The lower slopes at the back of the dunes were firm, rising and falling in gentler, undulating trenches and troughs. The colours were a positive rainbow: cream and orange, silver and gold, grey and yellow, white and deep red, or pink and dark brown.
Saskia simply stood and stared for a few minutes, mesmerised by the way the wind was shifting across the dunes, separating the lighter grains, which were always a different colour, from the heavier ones.
The TARDIS hummed softly and she pulled her gaze from the scanner, pressing her hands flat against the Console again. Together they searched for their Doctor, and finally the TARDIS located a spot where he seemed to be, but neither of them could sense him clearly.
There was nothing for it, Saskia knew, she would have to go and look for him herself. She hurried off to the wardrobe area to find some clothing that was suitable for travelling across a desert.

The Desert of Einfuhlung - Chapter 3, Part 1

Saskia woke slowly, feeling pleasantly relaxed for the first time since she had met the Doctor.
The Doctor! Her eyes snapped open and met his deep brown ones looking down at her face. He smiled gently just as she realised that she really was lying next to the Doctor in her own bed.
He pressed a long finger against her lips and she raised her eyebrows questioningly.
"Good morning. Don’t say anything for a moment."
"he blinked, wondering what was on his mind.
"Thank you." He removed his finger.
"For what?" she asked, puzzled by his behaviour.
"For not expressing embarrassment because we’re in your bed. You’ve slept deeply for several hours, something you clearly needed to do, and I suspect you wouldn't have slept so well if I hadn't been here to hold you."
"Did you sleep?" she asked curiously.
"A little, but I rested, which was the more important thing," he answered.
She nodded.
"Breakfast?" he asked.
"Shower first, I think," Saskia answered and rolled onto her back, stretching her muscles.
"You have a shower, I'll get breakfast," the Doctor said, getting up from the bed and putting on his Converse shoes. "Fruit salad, as usual?" he asked at the door.
She nodded, then got out of bed, still feeling slightly puzzled by the Doctor’s relaxed manner. Had he made a habit of resting with Rose, she wondered, knowing that she would never dare to ask. She thought about it as she did her usual stretching exercises and went to take a shower. If she concentrated, she could search his memories, which were still clear in her head from their telepathic experiences, but she decided to forget it for now. She headed towards the bathroom, hearing music playing in the kitchen. She wondered if the Doctor would feel the urge to retune her radio from its usual classical music station in search of the kind of music he preferred.

Twenty minutes later, showered and dressed, she walked into her kitchen, determined to only worry about the mysteries she needed to solve. The Doctor was leaning against the counter by the sink, eating a banana. On the table was a bowl of mixed fruit and nuts, a plate holding two slices of wholemeal bread, and a pot of her favourite yoghurt and honey topping. Two mugs were standing beside the singing kettle. She smiled at the Doctor.
"What's amusing you?" he asked, smiling back at her.
"This is very domestic," she said, gesturing around the kitchen.
"And?"
"You seem to have found your way around my kitchen very easily," she answered.
He shrugged, but she saw a certain smugness in his grin. She didn't comment however, choosing to sit down and begin her breakfast instead.
"What’s the plan of attack, then?" she asked as she waited for her bread to toast.
"I thought we could spend some time this morning in finding out as much as possible about our Professor Jackson."
She nodded. "OK. We can start online, but we might need to go to the Museum at some point. They've got an extensive permanent exhibition there, a record of his various exploratory expeditions."
"Good. We can drop by your office whilst we're there," the Doctor said.
Saskia looked up at him in surprise. "Why?"
"So I can apologise to Luca," he answered, as if it was obvious.
"Oh, OK."
"He may be a pretty boy, but he didn't deserve to get caught up in our friction," the Doctor said.
Saskia grinned. "He hates being called a pretty boy," she said.
"I'm not surprised," the Doctor answered, smiling back.
Saskia gathered up her breakfast things and put them in the dishwasher, with the dinner things from the night before, then turned it on.
"Come on," she said, heading into the main room to her desk. She turned on her computer and offered the Doctor a chair. He sat down, put on his glasses and watched as Saskia began searching for information about Professor Jackson online. The printer was soon churring quietly, printing off information, which the Doctor quickly read.
"This looks like all the standard sort of stuff," he observed, after he finished reading the last page.
"I know. Do you want to try the Museum? Luca might know more actually, since he did a lot of the work putting it together."
"Then let's go and talk to Luca," the Doctor said.

They got their coats and went downstairs, both grimacing slightly at the rain that was falling. Saskia looked across the city. "I don't think this will last long," she said, pointing at the horizon where a break in the clouds was visible.
"Probably not," the Doctor said. "Come on, let’s go see your man."
"He’s not my man," Saskia said.
The Doctor raised his eyebrows at her emphatic response. "He's more your man, than mine. How long have you worked with him?"
"Three years now. He's a nice guy."
"I daresay he is. I hope so, anyway, since I need to apologise to him."
"He's less likely to hit you than I am, at any rate," Saskia said, half smiling at him.
"Good! I don’t enjoy getting slapped – and why is it always women who slap me?" he asked rhetorically.
"Perhaps you should only travel with men in future?" suggested Saskia.
"Knowing my luck, they’d start slapping me too," the Doctor answered.
They passed the TARDIS, which somehow managed to look innocuous even though it clearly didn’t belong in the street where it stood. Saskia gave it a pat as they passed and murmured something which the Doctor couldn’t hear.
"What was that all about?" he asked as they approached the Museum.
Saskia looked slightly embarrassed. "Just saying hello and telling her we'd come and see her soon," she answered.
"Mmm." The Doctor was surprised as most of his Companions had never bothered to talk to the TARDIS, even when they knew she was sentient. Of course, most of his Companions hadn’t been empathic.
They went up the steps and took a right turn through the entrance hall to a discreet door.
"We're through here," Saskia said, entering a code on the keypad by the door. "Behind the scenes at the Museum." She opened the door with a small flourish and gestured to the Doctor to precede her.
"Thank you my lady," he said with a grin.
She half bowed to him, then led the way down the corridor. "Luca's in Philip's office," she said.
The Doctor quirked an eyebrow at her. "Oh?"
"I can sense their thoughts," she said, answering his unspoken question. "As well as yours."
"Oh!" The Doctor looked thoughtful. "I hope that's not going to become a problem," he said.
Saskia shook her head. "I've got the capsules in my pocket," she assured him.
"Have you taken any more since last night?"
"Not yet," she said.
"OK."

"Do you want to wait in my office and I’ll get Luca?"
"Are you sparing my blushes," the Doctor asked quizzically.
"Actually, I was thinking about the necessity of being discreet," Saskia answered. “We don’t know what’s going on or who we can trust, after all.”
"True. OK then." The Doctor followed Saskia into a large room that was predictably almost entirely filled with bookshelves. In the centre of the room were two large, functional desks that faced each other.
"Have a seat," Saskia said, pointing at the tidiest desk. "I'll be back in a minute."
The Doctor chose to wander around the room first, peering at the bookshelves. Then he approached the desks. Luca's had a friendly sprawl of books and paperwork spread across it, plus two snack bars and an empty mug. In stark contrast, Saskia's desk was aggressively tidy. There were two filing trays on the left side, the top one of which was empty, and the bottom one of which contained one envelope file. Although the Doctor knew that Saskia had been with him for the past week and a half, he suspected that her desk was always very tidy, given the extreme tidiness of her apartment.
The door behind him opened and he turned to see Luca following Saskia into the office. Luca's eyes widened in surprise and the Doctor guessed that Saskia hadn't told Luca that he would be there. He stepped forward and held out his hand.
"I owe you an apology," he said. "I shouldn't have snapped at you yesterday." He smiled and Luca smiled back as he shook the Doctor’s hand.
"I'll forgive you,” he said, "But only because Saskia likes you. So what are you doing here, Saskia? Philip said you'd be off work for a few more days."
"We wanted to ask you about the Jackson exhibition," Saskia answered.
"What do you want to know?" Luca asked as he perched on his desk.
"What information did you turn up that you didn't use in the exhibition?" she asked.
Luca shrugged. "Not a lot. If you want to look at it, it's down in the Archive Room."

The Desert of Einfuhlung - Chapter 2, Part 3

He turned and looked down at her. She had tucked her legs up underneath herself and looked quite comfortable, and a good deal more relaxed than she had earlier. He sat down beside her, stretching out his own longer legs.
"So tell me what’s going on," she prompted, drinking some of her tea.
"Have you heard of Professor Jackson?" he asked.
"Of course. He's the archaeologist and explorer who went off about three months ago to Dasleere Viertel, intending to search for the fabled Lost City of Eupatoria."
"Well he found it and he's come back."
Saskia raised an eyebrow. "How do you know?"
"After our conversation this afternoon, when you invited me to dinner, I went for a walk and there was a poster outside the Museum advertising a lecture he was giving. I went to the lecture, then I talked to the Professor afterwards. He's invited me to go and see the Lost City when he heads back there in a few days."
Saskia looked at him in surprise. "I didn't know you were interested in archaeology," she said.
"I'm not hugely interested in it," he answered.
"Then why did you go to the lecture?" she asked curiously.
"I felt I should," he answered. "When I was looking at the poster, I felt a compulsion to go to the lecture. I didn't really register it at the time, but later this evening, when you asked me to leave, I felt the same kind of compulsion. After I thought about it, I realised the two things were connected."
"Oh." Saskia blushed when the Doctor mentioned she had asked him to leave. He reached out carefully and touched her arm.
"It's not your fault," he told her. "Whoever is compelling us is quite capable of making both of us behave out of character." He hesitated and then went on. "I think they started influencing us this afternoon when we were leaving Dr Karg."
She looked at him quickly and saw his own face had flushed pink. "You mean when you – hurried off?" she asked.
He looked at her steadily. "When I stormed off like a child, yes."
She moved her arm and found his hand. "I guess someone did a real number on us," she said.
He nodded. "They really did. They amplified my slight feeling of guilt out of all proportion, and they also manipulated your feeling of irritation at the Devron, building it up until you were completely furious." He squeezed her fingers.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly.
"It's not your fault, so don't apologise."
"But I hit you!" Saskia protested.
"Yes, but not for the first time," he pointed out. "And on both occasions, you weren't really yourself."
"So what are we going to do?" Saskia asked after a moment.
"I think we should try to find out more about our Professor Jackson, and we should also see if we can locate whomever has been manipulating us. I suspect the two are connected, even if they're not the same person."
"OK."
"We'll start in the morning,” the Doctor said, getting to his feet. Saskia stood up too, stretched, then turned hesitantly towards the Doctor. He looked at her expectantly and was slightly surprised when she stepped closer and put her arms around him. She did it carefully, as if she thought he might push her away. He returned her hug, pulling her close and holding her tight.
"We’ll be OK," he said. "We can figure this out, between us."

"Stay with me?" she asked quietly.
He pulled away from her slightly so that he could look at her face. "If you want me to," he answered.
She nodded, then led him inside, his hand clasped in hers. They went to her room and he waited by the door, his back turned, whilst she changed into her pyjamas. She got into bed then said, "You can come in."
She lay in the middle of the big bed. He pulled off his tie and his suit jacket, draping them over the back of the chair, then turned to sit down.
"Doctor?"
He looked up at the hesitant note in Saskia's voice.
"Will you hold me, please?" she asked quietly.
He nodded, then bent to remove his shoes. He was wondering if this was a wise or sensible thing to do, but he carefully didn't let any doubt show in his face as he sat down on the bed, then stretched out beside Saskia. She shuffled back across the bed to his side, putting her head on his right shoulder, and draping her right arm across his waist.
"Is this OK?" she asked.
"Yes," he answered, and put his right arm loosely across her waist. He threaded the fingers of his left hand through the fingers of her right. He lay still, listening to Saskia's breathing slow and deepen as she fell asleep. He swallowed several times, blinking back his tears, thinking of Rose.

For some reason that he couldn't explain, the Doctor felt a little disloyal for thinking of Rose whilst Saskia lay beside him. He scowled into the darkness. How could he be feeling disloyal to Saskia, they weren't lovers, and he knew that Saskia knew very well that his heart belonged to Rose. He sighed softly, wondering if he could shut up his busy brain. Then he wondered if Saskia could still sense his thoughts and feelings, even though she was asleep. Why hadn't he asked her before he agreed to do this? Abruptly he remembered the inhibiting drug he'd persuaded her to take earlier. Hopefully it was working by now, so even if she would normally have known what he was thinking whilst she was sleeping, she wouldn't know tonight. He sighed again, more heavily, and Saskia shifted slightly. He realised that if he didn't stop his brain from running in circles like a hamster on a wheel, he would probably wake her up, and he knew she needed to sleep. She'd been through so much in the past four days, and it was all his fault, getting her caught up in the chaos of his existence. He tightened his arms around her protectively. He had half a mind to persuade her not to travel with him again once this was all over. It wasn't fair to her.

Finally he decided that he needed to distract himself or his brain would never stop buzzing in circles. He began to mentally recite Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. By the time he had reached Puck's closing remarks So, good night unto you all/Give me your hands, if we be friends,/And Robin shall restore amends, he was relaxed enough to fall into a light doze for a few hours. He never slept much anyway, he'd sleep enough when he was dead, but he did need to rest at least a little.

The Desert of Einfuhlung - Chapter 2, Part 2

The Doctor followed Jones out of the room. "Is he always that rude?" he asked curiously.
Jones looked shocked at the question. "Oh no, sir. It's just that he's been very busy since we found the Lost City, and it was a very tiring trip, too."
"Hmm." The Doctor didn't comment further, but he couldn't help wondering if he'd done the right thing in accepting Jackson's offer to visit the Lost City.
Once out in the street again, the Doctor walked back to Saskia's apartment building. He arrived just as an elderly woman was struggling up the steps carrying several bags of shopping.
"Allow me," he said and took several of the bags from her.
"Oh thank you, young man," she answered, smiling up at him. He grinned but didn't bother telling her that he was far from being young. He watched her enter the door code on the keypad, automatically memorising the number. He followed her inside.
"Which floor?" he asked, as they got into the lift together.
"Fourth."
"The same floor as my friend Saskia," he told her.
"Oh do you know Saskia?" she asked. "Such a charming and friendly young woman. I can't understand why she's still single." She chattered on and the Doctor listened with half an ear. He had just remembered his earlier, less than friendly, parting with Saskia. He wondered if she was still mad at him, and if she would be mad at him for turning up now.

He carried the shopping bags over to Saskia's neighbour's door, then used the buzzer on Saskia's door. It opened almost immediately and the Doctor found himself face to face with an impossibly good looking young man, about five years younger than Saskia. He was blond and looked athletic, in spite of the tailored clothes he wore.
"Hello. You must be Luca, I'm the Doctor," he said brightly, shaking the young man's hand and walking into the apartment as if he had every right to be there.
"Who is it, Luca?" called Saskia.
"Someone for you," answered Luca, a little uncertainly.
Saskia walked into the room, stopping dead on the threshold when she saw the Doctor standing in the middle of the room, a big smile on his face.
"What do you want?" she asked abruptly.
"To talk to you," he answered, more calmly than he would have thought he could manage.
"Well now is not a good time."
"Yeah, well, this can't wait, I'm afraid," he said.
"It will have to," Saskia answered, and turned away from him.
He shot across the room and caught her by the elbow.
"Hey!" Luca shouted. "She said she didn't want to talk to you!"
"Oh, go and play on the tramway, pretty boy!" the Doctor snapped. He turned back to Saskia, who slapped him forcefully across the cheek.
"Ow!" He put up his free hand to touch his stinging cheek.
"Don't you dare talk to my friends like that," she snarled, wrenching her arm free of his grasp.
"We need to talk," he insisted firmly.
"No, you need to apologise to Luca, then get out. I don't owe you anything and you certainly don't own me!" she snarled.
He blinked at her. "I've never thought that I owned you," he protested, puzzled by her choice of words. "What's got into you?"
"What's got into me?" she gasped. "I'm not the one barging in here uninvited and behaving like a spoilt brat! Now get out!"
He backed away. Saskia's anger was blazing as hot as the Devron's had done.
"Go on! GET OUT!" she yelled.

The Doctor fled. Back inside the TARDIS he stomped angrily around the Control Room for some time, muttering curses under his breath, hands shoved deep in his pockets. When he finally stopped stomping around, he slumped onto the bench, feeling exhausted and dejected.
He'd been sitting there for half an hour when he suddenly realised something. When Saskia had yelled at him to get out, he'd felt a telepathic compulsion to go. And he'd felt the same sort of compulsion when he was standing outside the Museum, looking at the poster advertising the Jackson's lecture. He frowned, wondering who had been using telepathy on him to make him go to the lecture. And how had they done it? He ought to go and talk to Saskia to find out if she had been aware of the fact she had compelled him to go. He winced mentally at the thought of going back to see her again tonight, but he really needed to know the answer, especially if he was going to accompany Jackson to see the Lost City. He sighed heavily and got to his feet.
The Doctor let himself into Saskia's apartment building and headed upstairs, hoping that Luca had gone home. He knocked on her door, rather than using the door buzzer.

Saskia was about to go to bed. After the Doctor had left, Luca had begun making disparaging comments about him, and she had lost her temper and thrown him out too, although she hadn't actually slapped him. She had sat brooding for some time, wondering what had got into her. She'd never intentionally hit anyone before. Finally she realised that she was getting a headache and decided to go to bed. When the knock came on her door, Saskia assumed it was old Mrs Ponder from across the hall, and she opened the door without checking the entrycam. The Doctor stood on the other side of the door, four angry red marks across his cheek where she had slapped him earlier, and a pleading look on his face.
"What do you want?" she asked wearily.
"Can I come in? We really do need to talk."
"I'm about to go to bed," she answered. "Come back in the morning." She shut the door in his face, trying not to think about how she'd felt when he'd done the same thing to her earlier. She had only taken a few steps away from the door when she heard it open behind her. She whirled around in time to see the Doctor pocketing his Sonic Screwdriver.
"What do you think you're doing?" she demanded furiously.
"I told you, we need to talk, and tomorrow might be too late."
She hesitated and he stepped over to her side, putting one hand on her temple and the other on her shoulder.
"What - ?" Saskia felt herself falling and blackness descending on her mind. The last thing she heard before she blacked out was the Doctor's voice.
"I'm so sorry, Saskia."

Saskia opened her eyes slowly, wondering where she was.
"Hello."
She turned her head and saw the Doctor sitting on a chair beside her bed.
"Doctor?" She frowned, trying to remember what had happened.
"I'm sorry, Saskia. I had to – um – knock you out." The Doctor's expression was carefully neutral.
"You knocked me out?" she asked in confusion.
He nodded, sympathy flaring in his dark eyes.
"Why?"
"I really needed to talk to you and you wouldn't listen."
"Oh! I – uh – I remember." She looked away from his intent gaze, embarrassed by her earlier anger, then remembered that she'd slapped his face. Her gaze snapped back to his face.
"It's OK," he assured her. "No lasting damage."
"Good," she answered weakly, wondering how he could be so calm. "What did you want to talk about?" she asked, pulling herself up into a sitting position.
"We're being manipulated. Someone's pulling our strings, making us dance to their tune."
She looked at him. "Is there any chance you could decrypt that a bit?" she asked carefully.
"Yes, sorry." He ruffled his hair and Saskia suddenly noticed he looked exhausted.
"How long is it since you arrived back here?" she asked abruptly.
"A couple of hours," he answered apologetically.
"You know, since I met you, I've lost quite a few hours of my life. And I seem to keep waking up with you sitting at my bedside."
He looked down at his hands sheepishly. "Sorry."
"Oh don't keep apologising, Doctor!"

He looked up sharply at her tone and she covered her mouth with her hand. "What's going on, Doctor?"
"I'll explain. But I want to you ask you to do me a favour first."
She raised an eyebrow at his serious tone. "What favour?"
"The drug that Dr Karg gave you, how fast does it work?"
"It takes about half an hour, I believe."
"Would you mind taking one or two, please?"
"Why?" asked Saskia.
"I think whoever is manipulating us is doing so telepathically. I'd quite like to be able to talk to you without you being under their influence," he answered carefully.
She looked at him thoughtfully for a moment, then nodded. "OK. They're in my – oh!" She broke off as the Doctor held out her bag. She took it from him and he reached down beside the chair to pick up a glass of water. She pulled out the package Dr Karg had given her and took out a bottle of capsules. She glanced at the label on the box, then shook out two into her hand. She threw them into the back of her mouth, took the glass of water from the Doctor and drank half of it in two big gulps.
"Do you mind if I make a cup of tea?" asked the Doctor.
Saskia shook her head. "You can make me one too," she answered. "I'll be through in a few minutes."

The Doctor nodded and went out. Saskia pushed the blanket off herself. "Oh well, at least he didn't undress me this time," she thought, feeling relieved and embarrassed at once. She decided she might be able to think better if she felt more comfortable and quickly changed out of her now-rumpled clothes into an old pair of casual trousers and a baggy T-shirt. She went through to the kitchen. The Doctor looked up from stirring the tea to give her a tentative smile.
"Hello."
"Hello yourself," she answered.
"Do you know, that's the first casual clothing I've seen you wearing," he commented.
"Mmm." She took one of the mugs of tea from the kitchen counter and headed back into the main room. "Let’s sit out on the balcony," she said.
"OK." The Doctor followed her out onto the balcony and leant against the railing, looking out over the city. Saskia settled onto the big upholstered bench.
"Would you mind sitting down?" she asked politely. "I'll get a crick in my neck if I have to keep looking up at you."

The Desert of Einfuhlung - Chapter 2, Part 1

The Doctor stood just inside the library door, his forehead resting against it. Why had he just turned down Saskia's offer of dinner, he wondered.

Jealousy. He was jealous that someone else was going to be cooking for her, after ten days of being her personal chef.

What was there to be jealous of, though, when she had told him that she didn't have a man in her life. Besides, he still wanted to be with Rose. He pulled away from the door and opened it, then went to the kitchen to make himself a cup of tea. As he waited for the kettle to boil, he thought about his earlier behaviour and wondered at what point he'd started behaving like a moody teenager rather than a 900 year old Time Lord.

He turned the kettle back off, tea unmade. He ought to go and apologise to Saskia, at the very least. Only yesterday he'd been gratefully thinking about the closeness of the bond they were developing, and now he was doing his best to destroy it. Did he really want that? He couldn't love Saskia as he loved Rose, but Saskia was special to him now, he knew that. She'd entered his mind to save him from the Devron, and his previous selves had helped her to do it. Snapping at her and acting like an adolescent was hardly the best way to repay her. He knew she had risked losing her own mind in order to save his, and the fact that she probably hadn’t realised just how big a risk she was taking, didn't make it any less significant.

He hurried out of the kitchen and up to the Control Room. He picked up his coat from where he'd tossed it across a railing earlier, and checked the local time: just after 4.30 pm. He paused in the middle of pulling on his coat. He ought to take her a peace offering and there was still time to find a local shop selling something suitable. He pulled his coat on properly and headed outside. He made a point of locking the TARDIS door this time, then headed down the side street towards the Museum. He recalled seeing a nice gift shop not far from the Museum the last time he'd been here. He walked briskly towards the Museum and was about to pass it when a poster caught his eye.

                                              TODAY ONLY

Explorer and Archaeologist, Professor Jackson, will lecture on his recent trip to the fabled Lost City of Eupatoria in the Dasleere Viertel region.

The Doctor raised his eyebrows. "The Lost City of Eupatoria?" he muttered. "Presumably someone has found it again!" He went up the steps of the Museum to find an elderly man in a grey suit sitting behind a desk in the foyer.
"Yes sir?" The man looked at him expectantly.
"Today's talk by Professor Jackson, what time does it start?" asked the Doctor.
"In ten minutes, sir," the man answered.
"Do I need a ticket?"
"Yes sir."
"Oh!" The Doctor patted briefly at his pockets. Money! Why was he always so vague about money, he wondered crossly. He looked at the expectant face of the man before him and shrugged nonchalantly. "Some other time," he said and walked across the foyer to look at a display case as a party of four young people, presumably students, arrived and requested tickets. He sidled down the corridor whilst the man was busy, following the sound of excited chattering. Fishing in his coat pocket, he found his psychic paper and grinned suddenly. He allowed the students to catch up with him, then followed them down the corridor to a large lecture theatre. He briefly flashed his psychic paper at the elderly woman who was checking the tickets, but not collecting them, he was relieved to see. The lecture room was vast and packed almost full. The Doctor looked around for a seat, convinced he would have to stand, then he spotted a spare seat in the raked tiers at the back of the theatre. He wormed his way through the chattering groups of people who were still standing, suddenly grateful for the fact that his new body was wiry and supple. He reached the seat and sank into it with a small sigh of relief.

"Smooth moves," said the young man beside him, with a grin.
"Thanks," the Doctor answered, surprised but pleased at the compliment. Before they could get into a proper conversation, a sudden silence rippled to the back of the theatre from the stage at the front. The Doctor looked up at the stage and saw a man, dressed in desert clothing, walk briskly onto the stage. The man was in his mid-fifties, with steel grey hair, a weather-beaten face, and a military bearing. Suddenly the Doctor regretted Saskia's absence. She could have told him more about the Professor, whom he suddenly realised was striking a pose on the stage. The Doctor frowned, baffled by the man's manner, until he spotted a small cluster of people in the centre of the lecture theatre, who were apparently recording the Professor's lecture.
"He always does that." A quiet voice broke in on his thoughts and he looked at the young man beside him, surprised at the note of contempt in his voice. The young man glanced up at the Doctor's intent expression. "The Professor makes a lot of money selling his lectures to an eager public," he explained.
"Well exploration can be an expensive business," the Doctor answered mildly.
The young man scowled, but before he could reply, a booming voice rolled around the lecture theatre.
"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I am Professor Jackson." Most of the audience immediately erupted into enthusiastic applause. The Doctor noticed that the Professor made no effort to discourage the applause, he simply stood and waited, a smug look on his face. The Doctor felt the young man beside him stiffen with dislike. He wondered why the young man was there, if he disliked the Professor so much. Before he could ask, however, the Professor began his lecture.

It was, the Doctor had to concede, a slick performance, as well as a fascinating talk. The Lost City of Eupatoria had, in fact, only just been rediscovered by the Professor and his small team of archaeologists. Empathians had long believed that there was a city out in the desert region known as the Dasleere Viertel, which the Doctor knew meant "The Empty Quarter" in German, an old Earth language. The Professor's film show, maps and drawings showed an awesome cityscape, apparently well preserved despite its age. The Doctor found himself wishing he could see it for himself, and wondering whether Saskia would like to see it. Saskia ! The Doctor suddenly remembered that he had been going to see her, to apologise for his earlier behaviour. He frowned, wondering why he had decided to come to the lecture instead. It wasn't like him to get distracted that easily. He looked up at the stage and suddenly found the Professor staring very intently, apparently at him. He blinked, then glanced at the young man beside him, who was glaring angrily at the Professor. The Doctor heard the Professor thanking the audience for attending his lecture, but his thoughts were elsewhere. He wondered why the Professor had been staring at him so intently, then shook himself mentally. He really should go and see Saskia to apologise. He got to his feet with the rest of the audience, but before he could move he found an obsequious man beside his elbow.
"Excuse me, sir. The Professor would like a word with you."
"With me?" the Doctor asked, eyebrows raised.
"Yes sir. You are the Doctor, are you not?"
The Doctor smiled widely. "Indeed I am."
"Then would you come with me please?"
The Doctor turned to say goodbye to the young man who had been sitting beside him, but discovered that he had already left.
"Sir?" The obsequious man was looking back at the Doctor impatiently.
"Oh well," thought the Doctor. "I guess I won't find out why he disliked Professor Jackson so much."

The Doctor followed the man out of the crowded lecture theatre, then down a corridor to an anteroom. The man knocked on the door, then ushered the Doctor inside.
"I got him, sir," he said breathlessly.
"Good! Don't stay!" Jackson answered brusquely.
The Doctor frowned slightly at Jackson's tone.
"So you are the Doctor? The man who single-handedly saved Einfuhlung from a bunch of marauding aliens?"
"That's me," the Doctor answered cheerily. "Although, technically, it wasn't single-handed."
"Well you didn't have an army, did you?" asked Jackson with a frown.
"Nope, just my own two arms." The Doctor knew his cheery manner was irritating Jackson, but he didn't intend to modify his tone. There was something slightly off about the man before him, but he couldn't quite work out what it was yet. He was hoping that if he irritated Jackson enough, without actually being outright rude, he might have the chance to work out what was going on. He was surveying the room as he talked, thinking furiously, and wishing yet again that Saskia was here to help him.
"Yes well, I didn't really ask you here to talk about those insolent Rovians," Jackson said abruptly.
"No? Then why did you ask me here?" asked the Doctor curiously.
"I thought that whilst you were back on Einfuhlung, you might like to visit the Lost City with me."
The Doctor looked at the Professor in surprise. "I thought you'd only just got back from there?"
The Professor nodded. "I have, but I'm going back again in a few days. There's still a lot of work to be done at the site, and frankly, I'm not sure my junior assistants are up to the task. I thought you might like to come with me."
"That's a generous offer," said the Doctor, pulling distractedly at his earlobe. "When do you leave?"
"In three or four days. I've got to sort out some more funding first and replace some equipment we lost in a sandstorm."
"OK then," the Doctor answered brightly.
"Excellent! Here is my card. My hotel number is on the back. Call me in three days and I'll let you know when exactly we're leaving."
The Doctor took the card and put it into his breast pocket.
Jackson immediately bellowed, "JONES!"
The anteroom door opened and the obsequious man stuck his head around it. "Sir?"
"See the Doctor out, man!"

The Desert of Einfuhlung - Chapter 1, Part 3

The Doctor stirred in his seat. "What are we going to do about the Devron?" he asked. "It seems fairly clear to me that it doesn't trust me one bit, and I'm not entirely sure it trusts Saskia either." He gave her an apologetic look.
"Not only that, but it clearly enjoys manipulating people's emotions," Saskia said.
"I think the Devron should remain here and I will do my best to win its trust," answered Dr Karg. "Why don't you come and see me again in a couple of days and you can tell me whether your telepathic powers are still increasing when you're no longer in close proximity to the Devron."
Saskia nodded.
"Doctor, you would be welcome too," Dr Karg said.
The Doctor smiled happily. "Thank you."
"Let's go and talk to the Devron, then," said Dr Karg.
"Before we do, there something I think you should know." Both men noticed a reluctant note in Saskia's voice, whilst Dr Karg could sense a reluctance to speak warring with her anxiety about holding back potentially important information.
"What is it, Saskia?" the Doctor asked.
"When I was fighting with the Devron mentally I found out a bit about it. No one's ever taught it how to shield its mind," she explained, "so I got flickers of information and images from it." She looked away from them both in embarrassment. The Doctor reached out and clasped her hand.
"It's OK. I know you well enough by now to know that you'd never deliberately rifle through someone's memories and experiences."
Dr Karg nodded agreement with the Doctor's words. "He's right. Just tell us what you think we should know if we are to help the Devron."
Saskia's squeezed the Doctor's hand, then took a deep breath before explaining that she had learned that the Devron's people had found a way to pass on their personal memories and experiences to another individual before they died. This meant, she said, that any one individual could have the memories of hundreds of individuals stored in its own memory.

The Doctor look curious and intrigued by her revelation, but Dr Karg seemed as horrified as Saskia. "How do they stop themselves from going mad?" he asked in wonder.
"I'm not sure that they do," Saskia answered.
Both men looked at her in surprise. "What do you mean?" asked Dr Karg, a breath ahead of the Doctor.
"You know how angry it always seemed when we encountered it?" Saskia asked the Doctor, who nodded ruefully. "Well I think its mind was breaking down under the pressure of its ancestors' memories, combined with the telepathic stress of the heightened international tensions on Earth. I think we removed it from Earth not a moment too soon. But I'm not sure whether we removed it too late."
Dr Karg patted her arm. "Only time will tell," he said. "But you can be sure I will do all that I can to help it." He stood up, and Saskia and the Doctor stood too. "Let's find our visitor."
"You did the right thing, telling us about the Devron," the Doctor told Saskia quietly as they followed Dr Karg out of his study. She bit her bottom lip, then nodded once, but the Doctor could sense she wasn't completely convinced. He squeezed her hand in his own.

They followed Dr Karg along the corridor and into the central part of the house where they found the Devron and Dr Karg's assistant waiting in a large, sunlit sitting room. Saskia immediately noticed that the Devron looked less sulky than it had and wondered if that meant that it would be willing to accept Dr Karg's help. It gave her a sharp look and she flinched as she realised that it had read her thoughts. She waited by the door with the Doctor as Dr Karg approached the Devron and spoke to it silently. The Doctor could sense that Saskia was anxious about the Devron and he briefly put an arm around her shoulders. She gave him a quick smile, then turned her attention to Dr Karg as he approached them.
"The Devron has agreed to remain here for the time being," he told them.
Saskia gave a sigh of relief.
"Would you two like to look around here before you head back to the city?"
She turned to the Doctor. "Doctor?"
"Another time, thank you," he answered. "Thank you for your hospitality."
"Thank you for coming to see me, both of you. Saskia I'll go and get that item I promised you."
"Thank you." She walked over to the Devron and the Doctor followed her.
"I am glad that you have agreed to stay and work with Dr Karg," she told it.
It looked at her for a long moment and Saskia could feel that it was trying to read her mind. She returned its gaze steadily, keeping all her emotions firmly masked. Finally it dropped its gaze.
"Goodbye," it said, then turned its back on them both.
The Doctor shrugged at Saskia's look. "Goodbye," he said, then took her arm and led her out of the room.

They found Dr Karg waiting for them by the front door and followed him outside at his gesture. He handed Saskia a small package which she slipped into her bag.
"I've given you a three month supply," he told her.
She looked at him in surprise. "Why so much?"
"Well I thought it best to err on the side of caution. You might need to increase the standard dose if your telepathic abilities continue to increase. Also I thought you might find yourself unable to get back to see me should something urgent arise." He smiled at the Doctor, who smiled back.
"I won't go looking for trouble," he assured Dr Karg.
"Perhaps not, but you have admitted that trouble has a habit of finding you, and if Saskia is going to remain as your Companion, I would rather she had the help she might need." He hugged Saskia, then shook hands with the Doctor. "Come and see me in two days," he said. "Come for lunch again."
"Thank you, we will." Saskia turned to leave, then turned back. "I almost forgot," she said and fished in her pocket, pulling out the artefact that she and the Doctor had discovered in Oxford. "You might want to get one of your techies to look at this."
"What is it?" asked Dr Karg, looking at the small device that lay in the palm of her hand.
"A very powerful transmitter and receiver. It broadcasts Psionic waves, and I think it also amplifies telepathic abilities. The Devron built it. Be careful about activating it."
Dr Karg looked at it thoughtfully. "I'll bear your warning in mind," he said. "I think I won't tell the Devron that I have it, at least not yet."
Saskia nodded. "We'll see you in two days, then" she said, then set off down the drive towards the gates.

The Doctor sketched a farewell then caught Saskia up in a few strides. "Now there's a thoroughly decent bloke," he said.
Saskia grinned at him and he grinned back. "Are you sure you don't just hanker after his library?" she asked teasingly.
He poked her shoulder. "You're getting cheeky," he said, pretending to be stern. He grabbed her hand and began to swing her arm backwards and forwards. Saskia's smiled broadened.
"What?" he asked, catching sight of her face.
"The last time anyone did that with me, I was six," she said.
"Oh. Sorry." He stopped swinging their arms, then suddenly pulled his hand free of hers and shoved it into his trouser pocket.
"I wasn't complaining," Saskia protested.
"I know," he answered shortly, then lengthened his stride and walked rapidly away from her.
She stopped abruptly and closed her eyes, sorting through the feelings she had got from the Doctor, even though she had been doing her best to block them out of her mind in case he felt she was intruding.

Guilt. He felt guilty that he had been enjoying her company, because she wasn't Rose.

Sighing, she shook her head then followed the Doctor down the drive and out to the tram stop. He was standing at the stop, with his hands thrust into his trouser pockets, rocking from his heels to the balls of his feet and back again as if he had been waiting there for several hours instead of just a few minutes. She stepped to his side, but before she could speak to him a tram arrived. She got on first, since she had their tickets, and made her way to a free pair of seats, but she wasn't very surprised when the Doctor took a seat near the driver instead of joining her. She watched him, wondering if he was always going to be so moody.

When the tram stopped in the centre of town, the Doctor was up and leaping off before it had barely stopped moving, earning a reprimanding "Oi!" from the driver, which he ignored. He didn't stop or look back as he headed towards the Museum and the spot where they had left the TARDIS. Saskia got off the tram, watching his tall figure striding away and wondered whether or not to go after him. She decided she wanted to go home first. If he wanted her, he knew where to find her. She let herself into her apartment and checked her messages. She smiled when she saw there was one from Luca. She keyed in his work number, knowing he would still be in their shared office.

"Saskia! Thank the gods!" Luca's good humoured face broke into a relieved smile when he saw her.
"Hello Luca. Did you miss me?"
"We all did," he answered. "Where are you?"
"At home, now. I've just got back from seeing Dr Karg."
"Are you OK?" he asked anxiously.
She nodded. "I'm mostly just tired," she answered truthfully.
"Can I come and see you? Tonight?"
Saskia bit her lip indecisively. "Yes, why not?" she said finally. "What time are you finishing work?" She checked the clock on the videophone display.
"About 5," Luca answered. "I'll come straight to you. I'll cook you dinner and you can tell me all about your adventures."
"That will be nice," she said.
"See you in about an hour, then." He blew her a kiss then terminated the call.
She thought about that kiss as she went through to the kitchen. There had been a time when they had first started working together, when she had thought she and Luca might end up as a couple, but it hadn't happened. She scribbled a quick shopping list, knowing that if she didn't go and get some groceries, he'd only get melodramatic with her about her lack of interest in food. She went downstairs to the street entrance and wondered what the Doctor was doing. Since she had to pass the TARDIS on her way to the store, she decided to call in on the way back to see if he wanted to come and have dinner with her and Luca.

When she walked down the side street near the Museum she was relieved to see the TARDIS was still there. She didn't think the Doctor would just leave without saying goodbye, but she wasn't positive about it. She pushed the door with her elbow, since her arms were holding a box of groceries. She half expected the door to be locked, but it wasn't, so she went inside. A quick glance around the Control Room confirmed what her other senses were telling her, that the Doctor was elsewhere. She put the box down by the door and walked over to the Console.
"Hello," she said, smoothing a hand across it. "Where's the Doctor?"
The TARDIS hummed softly at her, then showed her an image of the library. "Thank you."
She made her way down the corridors to the familiar room, then knocked on the door and waited.
The Doctor opened the door slowly and Saskia could feel his reluctance to do so even before she saw it in his face.
"Hello. I wondered if you wanted to come and have dinner with me?"
"I thought you didn't cook?" he asked.
"I don't."
"Are you inviting me to dinner so that I'll cook for you then?"
Saskia shook her head. "No. My colleague from the Museum, Luca, is coming over to catch up on my news and he'll cook."
"I don't think so, thank you." The Doctor's voice was stiffly courteous.
"Please yourself then," Saskia said, suddenly annoyed at his moodiness.
He flinched at her tone, opened his mouth to speak, then shut it again.
"What?" she demanded aggressively.
"Enjoy your meal," he said indifferently, then shut the door in her face.
She just managed to stop herself from flinging the door open and storming into the library after him. She glared at the door furiously, then turned and stalked back to the Control Room. She snatched up the box of groceries and hurried out the TARDIS, slamming the door behind her.